Audio-visual distraction as an adjunct to standby anaesthesia in persons with paraplegia: a case series of five operations.

Introduction: Persons with paraplegia present complex challenges to anaesthetists. Complications experienced by these patients can require major orthoplastic surgery such as excision of infected bone and soft tissue due to pressure sores and soft tissue reconstruction. Anaesthetic strategies deemed both safe and acceptable to this population are essential.

WITHDRAWN. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in gallstone-associated acute pancreatitis.

Background: Early endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography with or without endoscopic sphincterotomy (ERCP+/-ES) has been advocated to reduce complications in patients presenting with a severe attack of gallstone-associated acute pancreatitis (GAP). However, a recent trial has reported contradictory results. Importantly, patients with acute cholangitis were excluded suggesting it may be a major confounding factor affecting previous studies.

The mitochondrial ADPR link between Ca2+ store release and Ca2+ influx channel opening in immune cells.

The regulation of non-voltage-operated Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane remains unclear. However, there is often a link between the physiological release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores and opening of Ca2+ influx channels on the plasma membrane. This route has been referred to variously as store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOC), capacitative Ca2+ entry, and Ca2+ release-activated channel opening (CRAC), and often underlies the large changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ that accompany many stimuli in a wide variety of cell types.

Signalling shutdown strategies in aging immune cells.

It is important for the resolution of inflammation that the number and activity of immune cells are reduced. Clearance of immune cells may be achieved by apoptosis and phagocytosis of cell fragments by macrophages. However, signalling shutdown by immune cells committed to apoptosis occurs early in the progression of these cells towards fragmentation and, it could be argued, is a key feature of apoptosis.

Ca influx shutdown in neutrophils induced by Fas (CD95) cross-linking.

In neutrophils, as in most other cell types, Ca(2+) signalling is important for a number of cellular activities. Although inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate-mediated release of Ca(2+) from intracellular stores is a necessary prelude, it is the Ca(2+) influx that is responsible for many of the neutrophil responses. We report here that although elevations of cytosolic Ca(2+) do not accompany Fas-mediated apoptosis in neutrophils, the Ca(2+) influx component of the response to N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) becomes selectively inactived as the neutrophils progress towards accelerated apoptosis induced by Fas (CD95) cross-linking.